Giving is one of the best parts of life—especially for Brian DeRouen. He volunteers for multiple community organizations, and he and his wife Kathleen run the Alderson Hospitality House, a nonprofit bed and breakfast for friends and family of women incarcerated at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp:
“There’s nothing easy about incarceration, but the community around this place, the delicious food my wife makes, you know, these stuffed animals and stuff, hopefully make it a more comfortable and loving experience because it’s always hard when you have to leave your mom, your daughter, your sister, your wife over at the camp.”
Beyond his everyday work, DeRouen was inspired to give more of himself when a friend needed a liver transplant. They had already looked into helping when they found out his friend needed an entire liver from a deceased donor.
“But at that point, we had kind of already bought in, and we had already started reading the stories and, you know, feeling a connection to this community of people that is so desperately needing an answer to prayer. And we’re like, hey, we can still do this… Every person on that list is somebody’s child or somebody’s mother or somebody’s spouse.”
And he didn’t stop at his liver. DeRouin is now in recovery after donating one of his kidneys as well.
“We’re parents now, so… I think about my recipient’s parents more than I think about the little kid. I just love thinking that they have a normal life now after the illness that, you know, was threatening to take their child’s life. That was so not normal. And I was like, ‘I have another kidney. I only need one of them.’ …When it comes to doing good in the world and helping others, I think we need to have a really good reason not to do it. You don’t need a reason to do good.”
Despite Derouen’s unique day job, it doesn’t take anyone special to be an organ donor.
“There’s very little special about me other than I was made aware of the opportunity. And I said, ‘Let’s go for it.’ …There’s the national living donor assistance, like there’s financial help that they can help pay your salary for a month or two while you’re recovering. Anybody could do it. And, you know, if somebody watching this would be like, ‘Hey, I want to check that out,’ …that’d be great.”
